Press preview, Wed 13 November at 11:00: Through My Travels I Found Myself – Helene Schjerfbeck and Finnish Artists in Ruovesi

The event will be opened by the Museum Director of the Ateneum, Marja Sakari. The exhibition Through My Travels I Found Myself – Helene Schjerfbeck will be presented by its curator Anna-Maria von Bonsdorff, the chief curator of the Ateneum. The exhibition Finnish Artists in Ruovesi will be presented by its curator Anu Utriainen, the senior researcher of the Ateneum. The event will be in Finnish. After the presentations of the exhibitions, complimentary coffee will be served at Café Ateneum on the third floor. 

To book your place at the event, register by Monday 11 November at: pressconference@ateneum.fi

Through My Travels I Found Myself – Helene Schjerfbeck
15 November 2019 – 26 January 2020

The exhibition describes how Helene Schjerfbeck became Helene, and how a talented student grew into one of the most influential artists in our history. The exhibition focuses specifically on Schjerfbeck’s years of travel, during which she stayed in Paris, Pont-Aven in northern France, Fiesole in Italy, and St Ives in England at the end of the 19th century.

The works in the exhibition include landscapes, still lifes, and depictions of people who were important to the artist. The exhibition also includes 16 of Schjerfbeck’s self-portraits from the period between 1884 and 1945, presented in a chronological order, which makes for an interesting viewing experience. In total, the exhibition features some 130 paintings, drawings and sketchbooks.

Get to know the exhibition

Finnish Artists in Ruovesi 
15 November 2019 – 26 January 2020

Ruovesi and its surroundings in Pirkanmaa have attracted artists since the 1820s. All the artists who have operated in the region are linked by an interest in the spirit of the place, its nature, people and culture. How has this influenced the art of those who have worked in Ruovesi?

Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865–1931), Ellen Thesleff (1869–1954) and Elga Sesemann (1922–2007) all had their own villas built in Ruovesi. Werner Holmberg (1830–1860) and Hugo Simberg (1873–1917) also took a liking to the region. Other artists featured in the exhibition are Lauri Anttila, Gabriel Engberg, Kalle Löytänä and Louis Sparre. The exhibited works date from the 1850s to the 1980s.The exhibition presents works that depict the people and landscapes of the region, along with artists’ self-portraits. A total of 140 works are on display and they date from the 1850s to the 1980s.

Get to know the exhibition